Meet Global MBA Doug Ferreira

Not everyone steps onto a college campus as a freshman knowing what he or she will do when after graduation. But Doug Ferreira did: He was going to join the Marine Corps.

Four years later, he did just that. And after a 10-year military career as a platoon commander, advanced training officer, deputy operating officer, and company commanding officer, Ferreira was ready for his next challenge. He wasn’t sure where or what it would be, but one thing he was sure of was that he wanted his work to be gratifying.

“I had a rewarding job for 10 years, and my biggest reservation about leaving the Marine Corps was that I wouldn’t be able to find something as rewarding,” Ferreira said.

He eventually settled on health care as his next venture and began looking at MBA programs. When he found the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, he knew it was the right place for him.

“I’ve never met anyone in health care that said it wasn’t a rewarding job,” he said. “When it comes to health care, it doesn’t get much better than Johns Hopkins.”

Ferreira is a second-year student in Carey’s flagship Global MBA program. Asked why he chose Carey, Ferreira said it was because of the school’s commitment to a high-quality education.

“When I was applying to schools, I asked some folks what to look for in a school. The answer I got was: Look at where they spend their money. If they are spending it on top professors, that’s an indicator of a top program,” he said. “When I looked at Carey, I saw the quality and number of top professors they were hiring, and I was sold.”

He added: “When I sat in classes at top 10 programs while looking at schools, I was underwhelmed by the quality of conversation that was occurring. I didn’t feel that way at Carey.”

As a Global MBA student, Ferreira participated in the Innovation for Humanity project during which students serve as business consultants to organizations in developing countries. The class offers students an opportunity to apply the tools they learn in the classroom to a real-world setting, all to the benefit of business and nonprofits in need.

As part of the project, the students spend three weeks on the ground with the organization they’ve partnered with. Last January, Ferreira and his group consulted for a company in Rwanda that provides solar energy to health clinics.

“It was an incredible experience,” Ferreira said.

Since February, he’s worked as a clinical operations intern at Johns Hopkins Hospital, an experience he says he is soaking up.

“The great part about being an intern is everyone is willing to talk to a student,” he said.

Ferreira said he was also drawn to Carey’s Harbor East campus in downtown Baltimore. Ferreira, who lives on his sailboat, said being near the water was a big draw for him. He said he can envision himself working in Baltimore after he graduates – on one condition.

“I’d love to get a job in Baltimore, but I’d definitely have to upgrade the size of my boat,” he said.